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George Leone was looking to get the Battleship New Jersey involved in the nation's 250th birthday celebrations in 2026, when he came up with a big idea to highlight Philadelphia's rich military history in 2025.

"The Navy and the Marine Corps should celebrate their birthdays by coming back to their birthplace," says Leone, President of Homecoming 250 Navy Marine Corps . "People liked the idea, and we took it to all 14 living secretaries of the Navy, and they all said yes."

Leone led the charge, getting folks to join up for the volunteer-run Homecoming 250 Navy Marine Corps organization. He says he wanted to make sure there was "a really big celebration" here.

"We wanted to seize the semiquincentennia

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